In 2010 the FFI Board of Directors announced the Wayne Smith Medal, a special award to be given by the Friendship Force clubs to recognize those who show exceptional leadership in promoting the Friendship Force mission.

Click here for complete information and a picture of the Wayne Smith Medal, or download a nomination form.

Wayne Smith Medal Recipients

Rob Joyes
The Friendship Force of Taupo, New Zealand
In 1986, Rob (and Bev) Joyes were asked to host some Florida ambassadors who belonged to an organisation known as Friendship Force. He was so struck with the values of the organisation that he immediately joined up as a foundation member of Friendship Force Taupo and has remained a board member for the intervening 26 years. From 1997 to 2001, Rob served as club president, and in recent years he has been foremost in guiding and informing new members and acting as a valued mentor to fellow members. Rob has served many times as exchange director, and in 2006 he was appointed to a four-year term as a New Zealand field representative. See the news article from the Taupo Times: Rob dedicated to friendship, March 23, 2012.

Tom Sharp
The Friendship Force of Howick, New Zealand
Tom and his wife Bev joined the Friendship Force of Howick in its early days, and since then he has filled a wide range of supportive rolls during exchanges and club activities. He has served as club president, club treasurer and exchange director over the years. He also played an invaluable part in planning the two New Zealand conferences held in Howick in 1995 and 2011 as well as the Asia-Pacific conference in 2003. In addition, he has done great work in promoting the club with local newspaper coverage. His friends describe him as “a loved and respected member who only ever has a good word to say.”

Charlene Terrell
The Friendship Force of Big Canoe-North Georgia, USA
Charlene was an outbound exchange director even before the Friendship Force existed. Founder Wayne Smith recruited her to organize a cultural exchange to demonstrate his concept for an organization devoted to global understanding through people-to-people diplomacy. Charlene did an excellent job with the task, and her work became a model for the beginning of the Friendship Force.
Charlene served on the international board of directors from 1998 to 2002. At the request of Wayne Smith and the FFI board, Charlene wrote The Other Side of the Mountain, a book chronicling the first 20 years of the Friendship Force.

Jean Wilson
The Friendship Force of Northern Illinois, USA
Jean’s fellow club members call her “the heart of the Friendship Force of Northern Illinois.” A founding member, she has served the club since its beginning in 1984, and she was the club’s second president. She has been an exchange director on numerous inbound and outbound exchanges, and she has volunteered as secretary, newsletter editor, program chair and social chair over the years. She continues to recruit new members and is on a committee for forming a new member mentoring system. Her friends describe her as “a joy-filled member who listens, laughs, shares, cares, helps and is a dear friend to everyone in the Friendship Force of Northern Illinois.”

Robert and Billie Ray
The Friendship Force of Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, Iowa, USA
The participation of Governor Robert Ray and his wife Billie in the Friendship Force goes all the way back to the beginning of the organization. Governor Ray brought the Friendship Force message to Iowa after President Jimmy Carter’s first presentation of the idea to a governors’ meeting meeting in 1977. By November of the same year, Billie was leading an exchange of 250 ambassadors, including President Carter’s mother Lillian, to Dublin, Ireland. The Rays were instrumental in starting the five Friendship Force clubs in Iowa. Billie Ray led exchanges to Ireland, Venezuela, the Soviet Union and China. Governor Ray has served on the Friendship Force International Board of Trustees and is a past chair of Friendship Force International.

Dorothy Anderson
The Friendship Force of New Plymouth, New Zealand
Dorothy Anderson has served the Friendship Force of New Plymouth with dedication and enthusiasm since 1984. She served as club leader for 12 years and has held numerous other leadership positions. She has traveled to more than 40 countries: she participated in the club’s first outbound exchange and has been exchange director for many others. She has also attended all the New Zealand Conferences since 1985, often volunteering as a panelist or workshop leader. Her fellow club members were pleased to honor her with the Wayne Smith Medal for her enduring contributions to the Friendship Force in New Plymouth and throughout New Zealand.

Dutler C. Dauwalder
The Friendship Force of Kern County, California, USA
Dutler C. Dauwalder has led a life dedicated to serving his community. A founding member of the Friendship Force of Kern County, he has been an energetic member, acting as president in 1998. Mr. Dauwalder displayed his love for service when he joined Wayne Smith on a journey to a refugee camp in Tindouf, Algeria, where they delivered medical aid and supplies. In addition to his dedication to the Friendship Force, he has led and been involved in close to a dozen organizations, including more than sixty years of active leadership with the Boys Scouts of America.

David Kalan
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Since joining Friendship Force of Greater Milwaukee at its founding in 1990, David Kalan has been an invaluable addition to the organization. Acting as treasurer as well as president of the Greater Milwaukee club, his encouraging attitude has inspired others as he participated in no less that twenty-four outbound and twelve inbound exchanges. Mr. Kalan was also the exchange director for the very successful eco exchange held in Milwaukee in 2009. While he continues to serve on the Friendship Force International Board of Directors, his commitment to service has extended to helping the homeless and chairing the Diversity Dinners Committee, seeking to bring people together from different backgrounds.

Douglas Dean
Marlborough, New Zealand
Douglas Dean has devoted over twenty years to serving the cause of Friendship Force International. He first joined the Friendship Force as a founding member of the Marlborough, New Zealand, club in 1987. Standing out immediately as vice president, he quickly worked his way to a two-year term as president. During his time with the club, Mr. Dean played a hands-on role, leading four inbound and seven outbound exchanges. He has also had an impact on the national level, serving as coordinator for New Zealand. As he founded several new Friendship Force clubs and hosted two national conferences, Mr. Dean worked tirelessly to promote the message of friendship. He currently serves as Friendship Force Finance Director.

Andrew Young
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Ambassador Andrew Young is a founding principal and co-chairman of GoodWorks International, an organization through with he brings to life his long-held vision of facilitating economic development in the Caribbean and in Africa. Young began his career as an ordained minister and top aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the American civil rights movement and went on to be elected to three terms as a United States Congressman. In 1977 he was named U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations by President Jimmy Carter. Subsequently, he served two terms as the mayor of Atlanta.
Ambassador Young was a long-time friend and associate of Friendship Force founder Wayne Smith. He has been tremendously supportive of the Friendship Force for decades, including being instrumental in launching the Georgia to Georgia exchange in the early 1980s.

Kazuo Aichi
Tokyo, Japan
A native of Tokyo, Japan, Kazuo Aichi was elected to the House of Representatives in the Diet (Japan’s national parliament) in 1976. He was re-elected many times until his retirement in 2009. In May 2010 he was presented the national Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in recognition of his long and distinguished service to the Japanese people.
Mr. Aichi became associated with the Friendship Force soon after it was introduced to Japan. He established the Friendship Force Supporting Committee for Japan. Under his leadership, Japan has maintained one of the strongest Friendship Force communities in the world. He continues to work with FFI and club leaders to establish new clubs in Japan and in other Asian countries. Mr. Aichi is a former member of the FFI Board of Directors and the International Advisory Council.

Bruce Murray
The Friendship Force of Sydney, Australia
Bruce Murray was awarded the first Wayne Smith Medal by the 25 Friendship Force clubs of Australia. Active in the Friendship Force for 20 years, Bruce was a founding member and club president for FF Sydney, and he served as a field representative for Australia’s district. Most recently he served as Australia Liaison Committee Financial Services Representative. Read more about Bruce Murray in Friendship Online magazine.

At each World Conference, two Friendship Force volunteers are honored as Outstanding Volunteers of the Year.

Sandy Gourdine - Outstanding Volunteer of 2011

Sandy Gourdine, the president of FF Florida Suncoast, is an innovative leader whose creativity, enthusiasm and dedication have paid off in enormous ways. Her Friendship Force club credits her leadership with the 50 new members that have joined in recent years. She has increased the club’s presence in the local community by garnering media coverage and engaging with other organizations, including Sister Cities. In addition to gaining new recruits, her initiatives have energized all the club’s members.

In 2010, she launched a fundraising campaign that raised over $3,000 for her club to donate nine computers to a needy school on their exchange to South Africa. Recently, the club hosted 20 teenaged students from Indonesia. Thanks to the partnerships she established, the club now works with the St. Petersburg International Folk Festival and has developed a conversational English language program at Eckerd College. Approximately 20 Friendship Force members meet with foreign students every week for one-on-one talks.

Sandy has led her club to become the largest in the state of Florida. She reminds us all that with the Friendship Force, the possibilities are endless.

Jennie Dyson - Oustanding Volunteer of 2011

Jennie Dyson, co-president of FF Cornwall, is a shining example of the true Friendship Force spirit. After participating in her first exchange with another city’s club, she and her husband set about founding a new Friendship Force club in their own city. Since that time, she has served as club president for four years, led inbound and outbound exchanges many times, and served as a regional field representative.

In May of this year, she took on new challenge. She organized a global themed exchange to be hosted by her own club, and she fulfilled all the responsibilities of both a host and ambassador exchange director as a sole ED. The exchange, Gardeners to Cornwall, attracted ambassadors from all over the Friendship Force global community. When they exceeded their hosting limit, she recruited new hosts from her local gardening club, bringing more interest to the club and growing their membership. The exchange was a huge success.

Jennie can meet any challenge. Her cheerful energy and can-do attitude inspire all those who work with her.

Arifin Mochtar - Outstanding Volunteer of 2010

At the 33rd World Conference in Washington, DC, Arifin Mochtar received an Outstanding Volunteer of the Year award for his leadership as the Secretary General of the Friendship Force of Indonesia and on the FFI Board of Directors. In recent years Indonesia has become one of the Friendship Force’s most popular and innovative programs, largely in thanks to Arifin’s efforts. The education exchange programs, which have brought English teachers, education administrators, and students to the US and Australia, were spearheaded by Arifin.

Vicki Vance - Outstanding Volunteer of 2010

Vicki Vance is one of the Friendship Force’s most adventurous leaders. She worked tirelessly to conduct the first eco-exchanges to Costa Rica, which brought ambassadors from around the world the opportunity to learn about Costa Rica’s rainforests and agriculture. She also led the Discover Argentina exchange and worked with locals to begin a new club there. The result is FF Villa Maria, the first ever Friendship Force club in Argentina. Vicki has helped to shape the Friendship Force the world over.

At each World Conference two Friendship Force clubs are honored as Outstanding Clubs of the Year.

FF Western North Carolina - Outstanding Club of 2011
USA

FF Western North Carolina translates challenging opportunities into extraordinary experiences. Over the past year, they have hosted two delegations of Indonesian high school students, totaling 53 teenage ambassadors. Not only did these students experience another culture – they also served as true citizen ambassadors for Indonesia. Coming from a largely Muslim country, these students were able to introduce their own culture to their American hosts in a positive setting, and the experience was rewarding for ambassadors and hosts alike. Eight new – and younger – members joined the club as a direct result of these exchanges.

This club also organized an extremely successful hosting program for their 8th Open World delegation – a group of medical professionals with five different specialties. With only 12 weeks notice, this club put together a hosting program with variations tailored to each delegate’s interests.

FF Western North Carolina has not one but many great leaders. Their friends around the world count this club among the best.

FF Tuxtla Gutierrez - Outstanding Club of 2011
Mexico

FF Tuxtla Gutierrez sets the bar high for excellence in exchange programs and outreach. This club’s members are tireless – they host three or four exchanges every year. The quality of their host program has made them a popular choice for an exchange partner, and their enthusiasm for frequent hosting has boosted their membership and member involvement.

Earlier this year, they took on the challenge of hosting a high school band exchange for student musicians. They engaged a large secondary school in their community and paired up the American students with host families of other student musicians. The teenagers enjoyed getting to know one another and performing music together in multiple concerts and parades. Each of the teenage students who participated gained a new way of seeing the world. Over 1,000 local students and their families have learned about the Friendship Force through the school. The club is now planning to send 60 of their local student musicians on a return exchange next year.

FF Tuxtla Gutierrez inspires us all with their passion for sharing cultures and coming together in friendship.

FF Edmonton and Area - Outstanding Club of 2010
Canada

Edmonton and Area is becoming known around the world as a club that truly takes the Friendship Force mission to heart. In addition to their wonderful hosting program, they also work with the Global Youth Institute, providing opportunities for young people in their community to promote international goodwill. They gladly took on the responsibility of mentoring a younger club in the distant north, and they have often provided stopover hospitality to make it easier for ambassadors to reach their mentee club. These endeavors demonstrate their commitment to world friendship and make them an inspiration to Friendship Force clubs across the globe.

FF Sacramento - Outstanding Club of 2010
USA

The Friendship Force of Sacramento really knows how to come together in the name of friendship. For World Friendship Day 2010, they put on a cultural festival for their community that was a huge success. They recruited cultural music and dance groups to perform, prepared colorful displays about all their exchanges, and created fun world geography games. The festival drew a great response from the community, with people of all ages in attendance. This outstanding club reminds us that anything is possible when we work together!